Stanford Graduate School of Business

Stanford GSB Voices

"It’s definitely very possible to enjoy the GSB with a family," says Australian Andrew Sypkes. "You just have to make tough choices and be a bit more ruthless in scheduling your time."

Arriving at the GSB in 2006 along with toddler Daniel, and newborn Laura, Andrew and his wife Sarah found themselves welcomed by MBA2 parents and swiftly integrated into the Escondido Village and GSB communities. Figuring out the tradeoffs between study, extracurricular activities, and family life took a little bit longer.

Sarah, a stay at home mom, worked alongside Andrew to help him sort out his priorities. Key to their success has been open communication and a focus on molding the MBA experience to fit their family's needs.

"From the beginning," says Sarah, "we had been openly and honestly talking about his busy schedule because it would not have worked if Andrew felt he was missing too many GSB activities or we were not spending enough time together."

To ensure that he could be home for dinner most nights, Andrew began inviting fellow students to his Escondido Village home to study and work on projects. Despite his initial apprehension, he found that his classmates were not only supportive but appreciative of the chance to meet his family and enjoy a home-cooked dinner.

In addition to balancing his commitments by multi-tasking at home, Andrew narrowed his social activities and extracurricular participation to activities that evoke his passions. Leadership roles in three student organizations—Christians in Business, the Entrepreneur Club, and the Family Business Club—enabled him to remain actively involved in the GSB mainstream.

The couple had known beforehand that Stanford offered family housing, but they did not realize how much their family would enjoy living in an Escondido Village town home complete with small private garden and an enormous fenced communal courtyard. "My kids will miss running outdoors to a two-acre playground that’s always full of toys and friends," laughs Andrew. Sarah chimes in: "we don’t know of any other business schools that offer comparable arrangements for families. The accommodations at Stanford are ideal."

Any envy he felt toward his unfettered single classmates with their overflowing social schedules was outweighed by the value of having his family share the experience with him. "My moment of revelation came when a single student said to me 'you’re so lucky—you brought your best friend with you to the GSB!'"

"My best friend," says Andrew, smiling at the memory, "and my children too."

Andrew Sypkes, MBA 2008, with Sarah, Daniel and Laura
Andrew is Managing Director, Radiata Investments
Australia

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